Nady signed to Minor League contract

SEATTLE -- Veteran outfielder/first baseman Xavier Nady signed a Minor League deal with the Mariners on Wednesday after passing a physical exam and will report to extended spring training in Arizona.

Nady, 35, was designated for assignment by the Padres on May 5 and became a free agent on May 11. He hit .135 (5-for-37) with San Diego this season, with three home runs and four RBIs in 22 games.

"This guy is a professional," said Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon. "He's gotten off to a slow start this year and didn't get a lot of at-bats, but I think it's worth a look. He's going to go to Arizona and try to get some at-bats and hopefully we can get him to Triple-A and get him up to speed and then we'll see where we are.

The 12-year Major League veteran is a career .268 hitter with 104 home runs and 410 RBIs in 961 games. He's played five years with the Padres, three with the Pirates, two with the Yankees and has also played with the D-Backs, Mets, Giants, Cubs and Nationals.

Nady spent all of 2013 in Triple-A, hitting .296 with 15 home runs and 65 RBIs and then struggled in his brief time with the Padres this season when he was used mostly as a pinch-hitter before being released.

The Mariners are shy on right-handed hitting outfielders and also have a need at designated hitter with Corey Hart sidelined another 3-5 weeks with a strained hamstring.

Paxton won't be rushed back

SEATTLE -- After MRI tests showed inflammation in left-hander James Paxton's shoulder Tuesday, the Mariners will proceed cautiously with the 25-year-old rookie as he works his way back from his latest setback.

Paxton has been brilliant in his young career, posting a 5-0 record and 1.75 ERA in six starts. Four of those came last September and he went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA this season before straining the lat muscle behind his left shoulder in his second start in Anaheim on April 8.

But after being shut down for several weeks and then slowly building his arm back up, Paxton felt soreness in his shoulder after throwing 62 pitches in three innings in his first Minor League rehab start for Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday and he's been shut down again until the inflammation goes away.

The Mariners hope that means only a five- to seven-day layoff from throwing and manager Lloyd McClendon said Wednesday he doesn't expect Paxton to be set back too far by his latest issue.

"He's been throwing and he's built up," McClendon said. "I wouldn't suspect it'll take him more than 10 days to get back to where he was. But without a doubt, he'd need at least one or two rehab starts."

Paxton said he doesn't think the soreness is a "big, big thing," but just the result of ramping up his arm again during his first real game action in more than six weeks.

"It's frustrating, but it's just some inflammation and hopefully we can get it calmed down pretty quick so I can get back to throwing and keep on with the program," Paxton said.

McClendon knows Paxton is pushing to get back as quickly as possible, but the team will be prudent.

"We talked. He's disappointed," McClendon said. "But he's going to be OK. It's our responsibility to make sure he's going to be OK and not rush him. It's tough, but we're just going to back him off a little. It's not like he's not going to be back out there, but we just have to make sure."

Worth noting

• In eight starts in the No. 2 spot in the batting order, Michael Saunders has hit .433 (13-for-30) with a double, two triples, one home run, eight runs and nine RBIs. Saunders wasn't in the lineup Wednesday, however, as McClendon went with the right-handed hitting Stefen Romero against Angels lefty C.J. Wilson. Saunders is 3-for-23 (.130) in his career vs. Wilson.

• Going into Wednesday's games, Justin Smoak was tied for second in the Majors with his 19 two-out RBIs. Brandon Moss of the A's led with 22, while Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, Michael Morse of the Giants and Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers also had 19 each.

• Designated hitter Logan Morrison, who's been on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring since mid-April, went 2-for-5 on Wednesday for Triple-A Tacoma with a monster home run over Cheney Stadium's scoreboard in right-center. Morrison drove in two runs, scored twice and lifted his batting average to .333.